February 25, 2021 The Honorable Lori Lightfoot 121 N LaSalle Street Chicago City Hall, 5th Floor Chicago, IL 60602 Dear Mayor Lightfoot, Today, Chicago – like cities across our nation – is at a crossroads. The pandemic, racial strife and recession are a triple threat to our hometown. We commend you and your team for your steadfast leadership in navigating the city through this crisis. While the task ahead is daunting, Chicago has a unique opportunity to rebuild in a way that ensures we emerge stronger, fairer, and more resilient. Investing in our schools, healthcare system, and small businesses in key neighborhoods will not only lay a solid foundation for job growth, innovation and economic expansion. It will also help address deep-rooted racial and socioeconomic inequities plaguing our community. This is an ‘all hands-on deck’ moment. No one can rebuild our beloved city alone. Only when our political leaders, the business community, civic groups, religious organizations, non-profits and cultural institutions join forces with a shared vision and effort can we succeed. As you have said, we all need to work together to build the future we seek. So today, as business leaders responsible for employing thousands of Chicagoans, we’re stepping up to stand with you and The Chicago Community Trust. We support Together We Rise: For an Equitable and Just Recovery - the initiative you and Dr. Helene Gayle announced on October 8th – to ensure an equitable and just recovery through financial and in-kind investments. Achieving the critical priorities of Together We Rise: For an Equitable and Just Recovery, including increasing employment, strengthening small businesses, and spurring development in underinvested neighborhoods will benefit us all in the long term. Together, the public and private sectors can help advance these goals. We pledge to engage our employees, suppliers, and broader stakeholders across Chicago to join us to make a greater impact. We love Chicago. We are here to stay. And we are committed to contributing to the task at hand. Our future is very bright indeed. Let’s rise! Sincerely, Kip Kirkpatrick Co-CEO, Senior Partner, The Vistria Group J.P. Gallagher, President and CEO, NorthShore University Michael Reinsdorf, President and COO, Chicago Bulls HealthSystem Martin Nesbitt, Co-CEO, Senior Partner, The Vistria Group Michael Sacks, Chairman and CEO, Grosvenor Jerry Reinsdorf, Chairman, Chicago White Sox Alan Cramb, President, Illinois Institute of Technology Morton Schapiro, President, Northwestern University Joe Mansueto, Owner and Chairman, Chicago Fire Football Andrew Clarke, Global President, Mars Wrigley Club Neill Jakobe, Head of Global Private Equity, Ropes & Gray LLP Arnim Whisler, Principal Owner and Chairman, Chicago Red John Holmes, CEO, AAR Omar B. Lateef, Medical Center President and CEO, Rush Stars University Medical Center John Rogers, Chairman, co-CEO, CIO, Ariel Investments Brad Henderson, CEO, P33 Paul Lambert, Mid West Division Executive, Merrill Lynch Jud Snyder, Managing Partner, Chicago Office, EY Wealth Management; President of Chicago, Bank of America Brenda B. Asare, President and CEO, The Alford Group Kathy Scherer, Chicago Managing Partner, Deloitte Renee Blissett, Founder, Bliss Fit LLC Catherine Game, Executive Director, Brushwood Center at Ryerson Woods Keith Parrott, CEO, AMITA Health Richard Price, Chairman and CEO, Mesirow Financial Cheryl Howard-Neal, Principal, Engagement Group LLC Larry Barden, Chair of the Management Committee, Sidley Rob Rubin, President, RSR Management Inc. Austin LLP Chris Kempczinski, President and CEO, McDonald's Robert Snyder, Founder & President, Innovation Elegance dba Corporation Laura Hoey, Managing Partner, Chicago Office, Ropes & Sky Consulting, LLC Gray LLP Daniel Ryan, President, Central Region, JLL Roberto R. Herencia, Chairman and CEO, Byline Bancorp Linda Imonti, Managing Principal, Chicago Office, KPMG Dave Casper, CEO, BMO Harris Bank LLP Roger Hochschild, CEO and President, Discover Financial Services David W. Hanfland, Partner and Head of Americas, Kearney Lisa Davidson, Vice Chairman and Chief Diversity Officer, Savills Samuel K. Skinner, Co-Chairman of the City of Chicago Danny Wirtz, CEO, Chicago Blackhawks Recovery Task Force, Greenberg Traurig Lori Dimun, CEO, Harris Theater for Music and Dance Dean M. Harrison, President and CEO, Northwestern Stefano Pessina, Executive Vice Chairman and CEO, Walgreens Memorial HealthCare Margaret Mueller, President & CEO, Executives’ Club of Boots Alliance Chicago Eric Smith, Vice Chair, BMO Harris Bank Teresa Wilton Harmon, Managing Partner, Chicago Office, Martin Cabrera Jr., CEO, Cabrera Capital Markets Sidley Austin LLP Gary Conkright, CEO, PhysIQ Melissa Werneck, Global Chief People Officer, The Kraft Thomas P. Fitzgerald, Chairman, Winston & Strawn George H. McCaskey, Chairman, Chicago Bears Heinz Company Tina Sanders, CEO, Phalanx Family Services Ghian Foreman, President and CEO, Emerald South Mellody Hobson, President and co-CEO, Ariel Investments Economic Development Collaborative Tom Ricketts, Executive Chairman, Chicago Cubs Michael Albers, Director, Sales, American Airlines James Coleman, Senior Managing Director, Accenture Tom Shanley, MD, President and CEO, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Michael Alter, Principal Owner, Chicago Sky Children’s Hospital of Chicago Jeff Adkins, President and CEO, Energy BBDO Michael O'Grady, Chairman and CEO, Northern Trust Tricia Van Eck, Director, 6018North Valerie Jarrett, President, The Barack Obama Foundation W. Rockwell "Rocky" Wirtz, President, Wirtz Corporation .